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UK light heavyweight Joshua Buatsi secured a victory yet underwhelming start to life under new promoters with a points victory over Parker in Manchester.

The Olympic medal winner's punch output appeared to earn him a majority decision in a tight 10-round fight at the Manchester venue.

But Parker landed significant shots, landing some telling single shots in a contest where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the fight.

The officials scored it 96-94 to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95 draw.

"It wasn't my finest performance but what defines champions? They prevail," Buatsi said in the ringside as he was faced negative reactions from the audience.

The Londoner bounced back after his initial pro loss - an thrilling contest with his previous opponent in last winter - to claim a twentieth professional win.

Various analysts thought Parker, thirty-one, deserved the win but the Derbyshire fighter suffered the second defeat of his 28-fight professional journey.

The Champion Earns Victory in Dull Affair

The fighter's advancement has stalled in the past few years through contract problems and extended periods of inactivity.

Once tipped as the future of UK boxing, he now stands trying to realize his potential - possibly in what appears to be a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.

He started carefully, with the two boxers prepared to overcommit in a calculated initial rounds.

Parker, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against his former opponent in 2022 after breaking his hand during the bout, was participating in his second fight at the higher weight class.

By the halfway stage, the underdog had made it competitive, making life awkward for the favorite, who worked behind a protective stance to narrowly win the better periods.

The spectators' acceptance wore thin during constant clinching, with Parker falling to the floor several times during grappling.

Parker closed well, but many rounds were difficult to score. However, former world champion Carl Frampton - working with Dazn - had it particularly wide for the challenger, giving Buatsi just only one stanza.

Buatsi progresses, but with the caliber of heavy hitter David Benavidez, and Eastern European fighter Dmitry Bivol ruling the division, the road to world glory - on this evidence - still looks steep.

Hatton Tribute Inspires Local Rivalry Contest

In the secondary fight, Lyndon Arthur overcame Bradley Rea by divided decision in a excellent local rivalry battle to capture the European light-heavyweight belt.

The venue fell silent for a profoundly moving tribute prior to the bout as a bell ceremony tolled in honor of the city's native Hatton, who succumbed aged 46 in recently.

It was the premier televised fight night in the urban center since Hatton's death. As the last bell disappeared, the quiet gave way to a chant of "there's only one Hatton".

The fighting inside the ropes matched the sentiment. Arthur was knocked down by a significant blow directly to the face in the initial stage, standing uncertainly to his position on the referee's count.

But the Manchester United-red attire of Arthur soon pressed ahead again. Across the ring, the opponent - in competitive blue - was damaged early, heavy swelling developing under his orbital area as the fighters exchanged punishing blows.

Rea, twenty-seven, connected with strong blows but the champion, thirty-four, matched the intensity with powerful upward punches as the intensity hardly diminished over twelve rounds.

The victor narrowly won the result with judges scorecards of draw, narrow lead and clearer margin, but each competitor were persistent and courageous, everything their idol the legend embodied.